Mining is one of the most important sectors of the Armenian economy; it has the largest share of exports con­sti­tut­ing more than half the total value. On 9 March 2017, Armenia became a candidate country for the Extrac­tive Indus­tries Trans­paren­cy Ini­tia­tive (EITI). Candidacy means the country must undertake a series of reforms within a set timeframe to comply with standards of trans­paren­cy and account­abil­i­ty.

At over 2,000 metres above sea level, in the last village before the northern mountain pass from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, life in Sotk can be arduous. The village, which until 30 years ago was inhabited by Azer­bai­ja­nis, is now home to Armenians who fled their homes in Azer­bai­jan, though most of these have also moved on to greener pastures.